Naked Neck with Bowel Troubles [Graphic Descriptions] *UPDATE* PHOTO

Just a heads-up, while there are no photos yet, there are going to be some pretty graphic descriptions about poo, bowel troubles, and human intervention.

***Update*** There is now a photo on Page 2

In mid-October, my Naked Neck hen, Iris, was exhibiting some bowel trouble when I found her rear end completely impacted by diarrhea and scabs around her vent. I took her inside, removed the scabs, and thoroughly cleaned the area. I continued to wash and apply Neosporin to the area for a few days. During this time, I noticed that her body seemed hotter to the touch than normal, she wasn't as active as usual, and she smelled like fermenting dung when I was close to her. She was also somewhat underweight. I took her to a vet who did a site inspection and took a biopsy (which turned back nothing) and got a prescription for Baytril.

For two weeks she took the Baytril twice a day and had a diet of regular feed, cracked corn as a treat, and water with electrolytes. At the end of the two week period, after she seemed to be getting better by gaining weight and with more regular, non-runny/smelly poops, she stopped pooping entirely for two days, with the exception of a few watery discharges with urates.

After two days of not pooping, I had taken her into a bathroom to clean the area. I also did a small manual check of her vent by putting my fingertip (with a glove, of course) into her vent to check for obvious blockage. I found she was extremely constipated and blocked up. I ended up manually removing a large amount (over a few ounces) of dung. Iris then was able to relive herself of what I assumed was the remaining amount. In all, I'd say she had almost a pound of poop lodged in there.

I kept an eye on her for a few days after that, but since it seemed like she'd returned to normal (went regularly and had a good consistency) I decided it was in her best interest to go back to the coop, since she'd been home for almost a month!

While she has seemed to be doing well for some time, around December 16th-20th I noticed she was having foul diarrhea again. Today I brought her back inside since her vent was plugged up with poop and scabs. Once again, her discharge smells like it's been fermenting. I also did a quick manual check and found she was constipated again. I tried to remove some of the poop, but she wasn't as patient as last time (who could blame her?).

What I'd like to know is what is causing her bowel troubles. Is it an infection? Worms? She has no other symptoms than the ones I've listed. What sort of treatment should I pursue now? Is there any way to get a definitive answer besides expensive vet tests? Iris is one of my more cherished birds, so euthanasia is not an option unless absolutely necessary.

This happens sometimes in birds. I suspect she has some musculature issues. Sometimes the muscles are really weak in that area, which often leads to reproductive issues such as egg binding. Another sign of these weakened muscles is chronic constipation. Constipation is not a normal situation in chickens, so it often leads to ammonia burns and wounds inside and around the vent. Unfortunately, I don't believe that there is anything that can be done to rectify this situation. You can treat infections when and as they happen, and monitor her for signs of reproductive issues to catch them early, but the underlying condition will continue to be there.

I am not personally familiar with this situation, so all my knowledge of this condition is merely from books. Hopefully someone who has dealt this first-hand will chime in and offer some advice.

Thanks for the reply. Iris is 3 years old, going on 4 and hasn't laid any eggs in quite some time. In fact, while she was getting cared for in October, she didn't lay any eggs. I'll keep applying Neosporin to the area in the meantime.

Thats really interesting. I havent heard of this before. I wonder if you can call a vet and see if they have any info. I wonder if you can treat hen constipation like human constipation... naturally of course like with Epsom salt????

I am new to chickens so my advice is very questionable but I know they can have yogurt. Have you tried feeding her any? Perhaps the yogurt would help her intestinal tract digest her food better and help prevent the problem

Quote:I've never heard of treating constipation with Epsom salt. Can you tell me more about that?

When I took her to a vet in October, he took a biopsy and didn't find any bacteria/parasites that might be causing trouble. Whether that means her problems lie in something other than bacteria/parasites or if the test just didn't find the particular biological culprit remains to be seen. The vet mentioned he might be able to do a more comprehensive (read: Expensive!) biopsy, but I'd really like to avoid that route if possible.

Right now I've been giving her two spoonfuls of natural vanilla yogurt a day mixed with cracked corn. Since it's only been two days, I can't really tell how well it's going. I've also given her a few prunes. I did a manual check tonight and there was no blockage, but her vent is still scabbed and her poop still reeks of fermentation. Considering everything, the root problem (whatever that may be) likely has not gone anywhere.

I feel like I may be able to treat the symptoms, but I think there is some underlying condition/disease causing all this. If anyone has any more information or insight, we'd both be so grateful!

I know that Epsom salt can be used though I have never tried it. Im sure u could find info on Google. Maybe type in constipation in animals. I would also look up probiotics for animals. Maybe like the powdered kind they give to kids in water. I hope u find out what's going on soon. Maybe you could contact a local a and m school or vet school to see if maybe they have some ideas. I haven't heard of this before so tomorrow when I get on my computer I will have to look into it more. Keep us updated!